How Chandhok has earned his place in F1

Throughout his early career, few would have tipped Karun Chandhok as Formula 1 material, but Edd Straw explains how the Indian racer has developed to deserve his place on the grid

With Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton hauling the hopes of the British crowd around on their shoulders at Silverstone this weekend, there's a strong argument for sharing the load with a third man. Living a stone's throw – albeit a mighty 10-mile one – from Silverstone, Karun Chandhok can legitimately claim to be the real home hero at the British Grand Prix. While hardly a victory contender – a finish in the top dozen would be as good as a sensational win for the Chennai-born 26-year-old – he's sure to have his own band of supporters this weekend.

Beyond mere geographical proximity, he is also a Silverstone luminary. It's very common for drivers climbing their way through the junior categories in Britain to work as instructors at race schools, and in his British Formula 3 days Karun worked regularly at Silverstone. Even now he's a bona fide Formula 1 driver, it's difficult to keep him away from the track – he turned up for the FIA World GT1 Championship-supporting British F3 races a few months ago and again at the recent MotoGP meeting.